Abonnema: A Theatre of War

Militant

Rival militant groups clash in Abonnema, Rivers State , leaving the community deserted
By Lawson Hyeford, Port Harcourt
Abonnema, a thickly populated cosmopolitan community and headquarters of Abonnema Local Government Area of Rivers State was last Tuesday, July 29 turned into a theatre of war as rival militant/cult groups clashed within the terminal waters of the community. The island, an ancient riverine community, is situated 14 kilometres, about nine miles west of the main industrial city of Port Harcourt , the capital of Rivers State .
In 2005, the Rivers State government under the administration of Dr,. Peter Odili had awarded a N100 million cash gift to Abonnema as the most peaceful community in the state. But three years after that award, peace appears to have given way to violence in Abonnema– a development which both the Abonnema Council of Chiefs, the state police command and the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) have variously described as unfortunate.
The Source’s investigation revealed that trouble started when a militant group led by Ipalibo Farah accosted a rival group headed by Soboma Goerge on the Abonnema high sea, leading to severe exchange of gun fire. The two Ijaw sons, Farah and George are of Kalabari ethnic group, with Farah coming from Bakana and George, Buguma, but had to relocate to Abonnema town for refuge when he was chased out of his ancestral home by security operatives who declared him wanted since last years.
Several reasons were given for the gun duel between the two warlords. One accout said Farah who recently buried his mother in grand style at Bakana in Asari Toru LGA and attended by even government officials and security operatives, had unleashed attacks on George as a way of venting his anger on Abonnema community for absorbing him (George) into the community. The Source learnt that the community had resisted several entreaties from Farah for them to send out George as the chiefs insisted that George, a war refugee that ran to the community for safety, could not be sent out from the area, moreso, being of their Kalabari extraction.
But another account revealed that the clash was over the sum of about N350 million allegedly received as ransom for some foreign nationals kidnapped by the militants. The Source was reliably informed that George’s group and some militants loyal to Farah clashed because of three foreigners and two Nigerians, all of whom are top officials of an oil company operating in the Niger Delta region of the country, for which the amount was paid out as ransom before the kidnapped persons were left off the hook last weekend.
It was gathered that during the sharing of the loot, George’s men who were more in number and the architect of the hostage-taking felt that they should take the lion share of N230million, while Farah’s group should get N120 million. Farah who had been George’s ally under the Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo-led Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) felt cheated by the sharing formula and took the war to George's Abonnema high sea territory. Both George and Farah parted ways and floated their separate militant groups soon after the arrest and prosecution of Asari-Dokubo in 2005.
Like the saying “when two Elephants fight, the grassess suffer,” many lives including soldiers and civilians were killed and property worth millions of naira, including buildings were wantonly destroyed or burnt in the clash.
Lt. Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman of the JTF in Port Harcourt, confirmed that one soldier and two militants were killed in the ensuing gun battle, bringing  the total to three. But The Source learnt that on the whole, four persons lost their lives. The JTF Public Relation Officer and the state police commissioner, Alhaji Bala Hassan, said security operatives of the JTF were responding to distress calls on the Abonnema warfare when they were ambushed by the militants who succeeded in killing one soldier.
Musa: “We got distress calls and we deployed our men to the area. Unfortunately, our men were ambushed by the militants and there was heavy exchange of gunfire. We lost one soldier and killed two militants in the ensuing battle. My understanding is that it is a battle for territorial control and sea routes where they (militants) can control the movement of ships and collect money”.
The explanation by the JTF spokesman somewhat confirms the battle of wits and superiority between the two rival militant groups as narrated by Chief N.J.D. George on behalf of the Amanyanabo of Abonnema.
The Source learnt that the clash which lasted hours before the arrival of the JTF team, led to panic, confusion and pandemonium in the locality, leaving residents of the community scampering for safety. Consequently, hundreds  of people especially women and children have deserted the community and are now taking refuge in neighbouring communities including Degema, headquarters of the Degema Local Government Area.
Last Wednesday, the Abonnema council of chiefs met with journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ernest Ikoli press centre along Moscow Road in Port Harcourt , to absolve themselves and their community of the gun duel which took place at about 2pm on the fateful July 29, 2008. Chief Olu Fubara, the spokesman of the chiefs, blamed the development on the “deteriorating security situation in Abonnema”.
He recalled that in the past, the state government had always recognised the community as most peaceful and had awarded her some incentives, saying that the recent spate of violence which has engulfed the area was being perpetrated by some “undesirable elements who are neither indigenes nor residents of Abonnema”.
Fubara, a veteran journalist and former Corporate Affairs Manager of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said the people of the war-torn community were dismayed at the wanton destruction of lives and property in the area.
Sequel to the breakdown of law and order in Abonnema, several social events including burials and weddings scheduled for last week in the community were abruptly cancelled, leading to several economic loses. Chief David Briggs, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Works during Dr. Odili's first tenure, told The Source that he flew into Nigeria from America to attend a friend’s marriage ceremony which has to be shifted because of the security situation in the community. Fubara on his part appealed to the state government and the various law enforcement agencies to urgently intervene and bring the situation to normal, pledging their support and contribution towards   attaining peace there.
The State Police Boss, Hassan has also assured that security operatives who took over the community since the incident have restored peace to Abonnema. He appealed to fleeing indigenes and residents of the ancient community to return home and go about their businesses without any fear of molestation or harassment.
Hassan, who said his men have been properly mobilised to combat crime and militant activities in the state, last Thursday announced the promotion to the next rank of 51 policemen who variously performed their duties gallantly. The men who were also immediately decorated were from the ranks of Constable, Corporal and Sergeant and Assistant Supritendent. The police commissioner explained that the promotion was a way of encouraging gallant policemen and women and pose challenge to others to always put in their best in the service of the state and the nation.